Born in England to a Lawrence Welk-loving mum and a Monty Python-loving dad – tea drinkers all – we moved to Canada when I was seven. My love of words and a creative imagination prompted English teachers to urge me to write for a living, especially after I received a letter from the Prime Minister who thanked me for writing to him! That was pretty awesome for a twelve-year-old!
Through the years, I wrote all types of stories while I earned a living as an Administrative Assistant in various businesses including a bank, a car rental firm, an ice cream company, and a pharmaceutical manufacturer. I was more than a little peeved when I discovered none of them gave out free samples! I went on to own a Wedding Coordination business for six years (talk about romance!), all the while being happily married to the love of my life.
These interesting jobs plus wedded bliss gave me oodles of ideas for romantic plot lines, tall, dark and handsome heroes and feisty, beautiful heroines, and, of course, the happily ever afters.
So amidst endless cups of strong tea while Cole Porter tunes and the dead parrot sketch whirl around in my brain, I write romances with a dollop of humour. I have an irresistible need to create captivating characters whose lives I can make completely miserable before giving them their happy ending.
I currently live in Mississauga and spend time with family and friends, and struggle daily with the wine and chocolate that somehow magically appear in my house…
Victoria is romance and erotic romance author from southern New England. She focuses on diverse and complex protagonists who want adventure as much as love.
She travels around the eastern U. S. in her tiny house looking for her own adventures.
Angela Breen is a contemporary romance author from New Hampshire. She lives with her Marine Veteran husband and three beautiful children. The family dreams of a life on the open ocean full of adventure. Angela’s earnings from book sales help towards that goal.
Olena is an aspiring author who enjoys all forms of writing from travel blogging to fiction. Born in Ukraine, raised in the Czech Republic and currently living in New York with her husband and rescue pittie Smiley. With a B.A. in International Relations from Anglo American University in Prague, Olena juggles various hobbies and interests while working on finishing and publishing her first novel!
Chloe S. Flanagan is an author, technical writer, blogger, and graduate of New York University. She enjoys exploring the Christian walk frankly and thoughtfully in her fiction and in her blog, The Candid Corinthian. When she’s not writing, Chloe loves music, travel, reading books in all genres, and spending time with family.
Bliss Pure Foods: Living in Full Colours is Sunantha’s upcoming book in May
Born in Singapore and currently temporary based in Nepal, Kathryn was a graduate of Lasalle SIA College of the Arts. A certified business image consultant, art educator and healthy eating life coach, Kathryn has built a strong foundation in the arts and public speaking under the tutelage of internationally acclaimed transformation speaker, Mr Robert Pante. She holds a BA in Metaphysical Sciences as well as a Diploma in Art Education. She champions the practice of ahimsa (non-violence) through conscious eating and lifestyle choices. She also travels frequently to empower people towards health and bliss. When she presents, people listen! Her style of delivery is candid and yet caring. She naturally possess the magical ability to connect people with their own self love, wisdom and respect. She does not transform people. She inspires them to transform themselves! She is also the author of “Wealth From Within: Unlocking Your Innate Wisdom” and “Playing to Lose: Actually You Will Only Win & Learn”. Kathryn travels often to train and provide workshops on arts, healthy vegan cooking and medicinal raw food making. She also teaches online via YouTube & Udemy at BLISSPUREFOODS Channel. During her free time, she enjoys taking time alone in Nature and meditation retreat.
Live interview with author Kathryn is available on our YouTube channel.
Describe yourself in five words Candid. Playful. Creative. Curious. Open to possibilities.
What fact about yourself would really surprise people? I look and feel very young but my actual age surprise people. I am approaching 40.
How do you work through self-doubts and fear? When I have self doubts and fear, I like to go into my own silent space to study my own thoughts. Then I would speak to a few reliable and emotionally supportive friends to work through limiting thoughts like a sounding board.
What scares you the most? Death. Especially sudden departures of very close and loved ones. I experienced two very sudden deaths who are very close to me in my life within 6 months and it made me felt very sad and behind the grief was fear…. The fear of losing/ abandonment.
What makes you happiest? WHEN I SEE PEOPLE BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THEMSELVES, EATING HEALTHIY, BEING VIBRANT, HAPPY AND ALIVE, IT MAKES ME HAPPY! Healthy and beautiful foods made from the heart also delights me.
Why do you write? Most of the time, its for self expression and an outlet for creativity.
Have you always enjoyed writing? Only when I am inspired. When I feel deeply for a subject, then I write with enjoyment.
What motivates you to write? To bring value, beauty, wisdom and possibilities in other people’s lives motivates me to write.
What writing are you most proud of? I wrote a book named WEALTH FROM WITHIN: UNLOCKIING YOUR INNATE WISDOM when I was 21 to pay off my own education fees. This book is available in national libraries in singapore. Next was PLAYING TO LOSE: ACTUALLY YOU WILL ONLY WIN AND LEARN where I wrote about my dark experiences as a school teacher. Lastly, is my new upcoming book BLISS PURE FOODS: LIVING IN FULL COLORS where I shared all my vegan, raw vegan and vegetarian recipes with many beautiful colorful photos and instructions that are easy for people to experiment and play in their own kitchen. These recipes are foods made in my cafe in Nepal.
What are you most proud of in your personal life? I am proud to be able to live the life that I love and living it powerfully. I am a person who loves to explore unknown territories and enjoy traveling and learning.
What books did you love growing up? I love astronomy and it was one of my childhood dreams to study the stars and planets. But now, I love any books that can open my heart with wonder, joy and inspirations.
What do you hope your obituary will say about you? FULLY USED UP.
Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live? I was born in Singapore and have lived in many parts of the world. USA, CANADA, INDIA, MALAYSIA, NEPAL, AUSTRALIA, CHINA, JAPAN and currently I am looking relocating myself so that my work can be further empowered to benefit more people in eating healthy and cooking nutritious foods at home.
How did you develop your writing? I treat writing like painting and would not say that I am a professional writer. But I do write from my heart when I write.
What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing? I feel it is writing and marketing. Getting published is not difficult since there are many possibilities around self publishing now. Writing takes a lot of time and effort. Marketing is another world of skills that helps you get your work out there. So both are hard. Hardest, I feel is marketing because one has to know how to sell themselves daringly.
What else do you do, other than write? I experiment food recipes in kitchen a lot! I also love to hang out in natural quiet spots. I love visiting nice vegan cafes and restaurants too during my day offs.
What other jobs have you had in your life? I was a fashion designer then became a business image consultant and life coach trained by Mr Robert Pante. I worked as an image consultant and trainer for 7 years and then thought of becoming a school teacher to fulfill my other childhood dream. Taught for a short while in government schools and decided to quit because I wasn’t feeling my own inner fulfillment. Then I went back to being my own boss. Now I run a cafe, travel and teach classes like eco living, healthy vegan cooking, medicinal raw food making, inspirational talks, coaching etc.
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Anywhere that has fresh clean air, good people, nature and an abundance of raw living water, a land for planting biodynamics crops and a nice kitchen and dining area to cook and host friends.
How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk? Laptop most of the time.
How much sleep do you need to be your best? 8 hours of sleep is what I usually get.
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support? My dad. Without him, there is no me today. Getse Rinpooche, my dharma teacher, who gave me all I need to live life courageously and meaningfully. Robert Pante, my life coach, mentor and best friend who have seen me grow up since 17. I taught me arts, design, English language and the power of presentation.
Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it? My new book BLISS PURE FOODS: LIVING IN FULL COLORS is a full colored vegan , raw vegan and vegetarian recipes book that contains all natural ingredients and fully plant based. These recipes are created from my years of traveling ands experiencing life. It is a fusion of west and the east incorporated with superfood and superherbs. What I mean by this is foods that are high in energy and vibrations and with just a small dosage, you get great nutritional benefits out of eating them. In the book, most recipes are made from scratch like enzymes oil, probiotics filled fermented foods, raw foods that have an asian touch to it plus clear instructional photos. I wrote this book with the intention to support and empower busy people to do more home cooking that canals be creative and fun activities to engage in during free time. The recipes are generally simple and easy to make. So this book will be very useful for mummies who wants to bond with their kids in the kitchen. Food has the ability to heal people and to bring people together. This is what I wish my book will do and bring to those who bought it.
We had so much fun learning about Kathryn and we believe you will benefit from her work on Amazon as well. Find her work on Amazon and be sure to catch up with her live interview on our YouTube channel!
Bliss Pure Foods: Living in Full Colours. Get it on Amazon today!
The Prophetic Mayan Queen: K’inuuw Mat of Palenque (The Mists of Palenque Book 4)
The Review:
If you’re into the ancient histories, especially on the Mayan prophecy, you will find this book interesting. The author of this book, Dr Martin, is she is a non-professional ancient Mayan civilization and cultural researcher . This makes the read very interesting as the Mayan cultural background in this book feels very real and the author literally brings you into the world of the Mayan. I think if an author with little to no knowledge on ancient histories were to write a similar story, I don’t think the story would have felt this real and inviting.
The main character in this story is K’inuuw Mat and she is married. As the story develops, she finds out shocking truth about with whom she would have her dynastic heir with. It is her husband’s brother. I love the romance between Mat and her brother-in-law. There will be family conflicts and there is a mounting pressure on Mat to answer the Goddess’ mandate to preserve Mayan culture.
As the story develops, what I like the most is Francesca who enters the Mayan village to discover her grandmother’s secrets. It’s a book that brings you to a different dimension. The names of the characters in the book can be a little difficult to pronounce and they don’t really stick on my mind. But, other than that, I enjoyed reading the book.
It is a great pleasure to interview, LaToya Thomas, a children’s book author. LaToya’s new book ‘You Are Beautiful, Beautiful You Are’ will be published on Amazon on 23rd February 2019. We hope that you would enjoy LaToya’s interview as much as we did.
Describe yourself in five words Responsible, loyal, fun, busy and determined What fact about yourself would really surprise people? I am not afraid to fail. At least then I will have at least tried. How do you work through self-doubts and fear? I research… a lot. I weigh the pros and cons. Being an optimist by nature certainly helps. What scares you the most? Snakes What makes you happiest? Completing projects on my to do list, peace of mind and vacations Why do you write? I write when I have a message to share or when I randomly get inspired. I work with children and children are funny. I always find myself thinking, “That would make a great story!” Have you always enjoyed writing? Yes, I have always enjoyed writing. I used to write plays when I was a child. I also kept a journal since as far back as I can remember. What motivates you to write? The children I work with motivate me to write. My daughter was the driving force behind my book You Are Beautiful, Beautiful You Are. Then, there were countless conversations between myself and other adults that confirmed that writing the book was necessary. What writing are you most proud of? I am proud of the way people have been so receptive of You Are Beautiful, Beautiful You Are. When I wrote the story, I never told anyone until after it was written, illustrated and ready for print. Then, I blasted it to the world. I could not believe the response I received. There were people who told me they cried. One person actually cried while reading the book in front of me. We cried together. It was awesome! What are you most proud of in your personal life? In my personal life, I am proud to be accomplishing my goals one by one. It has not been easy, but every time I set my mind to something and I focus, I reach my goal. That is worth being proud! Now, I am working on celebrating these accomplishments. I have not always been good at that. I rarely stop to smell the roses and I believe it is important to do that. What books did you love growing up? Growing up, I loved Amelia Bedelia. I thought those books were hilarious. I also loved Dr. Seuss books and the way they were written. My mom would order children’s magazines for me and I remember loving to do the activities inside. What do you hope your obituary will say about you? Yikes! Uhhh. I hope to live forever. Haha, but if I must go I hope people will remember the many ways in which I tried to help people, my giving spirit and my optimism. Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live? I grew up in the city of Philadelphia PA, west philly to be exact. I currently live approx. 30 mins west of where I grew up, in King of Prussia PA. Its more suburban here. How did you develop your writing? I was always given writing materials as a child. I had tons of notebooks, so that is where it all started. In college, I took some courses that required writing research papers. I enjoyed it. I love research and when you are well versed on a subject writing about it is easy. What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing? Marketing by far is the hardest. However, the reality is none of it is hard. It’s all easy. It’s just tedious, costly and/or time consuming… or all of the above! What marketing works for you? I have found that social media sites can be very helpful. Also, there is nothing like word of mouth. Luckily, that is one concept from the past that we still have. People love to share what the love… and of course, what they don’t. Do you find it hard to share your work? I don’t find it hard to share my work. I do get weird feelings though, sort of like butterflies. I always want everything to be perfect, so I find myself giving disclaimers and explanations that are totally unnecessary. Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you? I have received nothing but great vibes from everyone. I am so grateful for the support I have received. What else do you do, other than write? I work with children. I have worked with children for the past 19 years. I have experience with children who have special needs. It has been very rewarding to be a part of their lives. If you could study any subject at university what would you pick? I have studied early childhood education and behavioral science. I would probably continue to study psychology. I love psychology. Much of behavioral science is also psychology, but it also has human services and a sociological component. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Miami Florida, Atlanta Georgia and where I currently live. Preferably a home in each state. Tell us about your family? I have two children, ages 12 and 8. They are amazing. How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk? All of the above and even on my phone if I am not near my computer or don’t have a pen and paper. How much sleep do you need to be your best? I need between 6 and a half and 8 hours of sleep. I wish I could only get a couple hours of sleep and still be at my best, but that was not in the cards for me.. Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support? I would like to thank my mom for always being there for me. She really did an amazing job and I am still realizing the sacrifices she made as a mother, especially since I am now at that stage in life myself. Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? A successful writing career to me would be creating books that connect with people. I would like people to read one of my books and want to read more of my books. Books can have an emotional connection with readers. That is my goal, to be able to connect with readers. Of course, I would like to sell massive amounts of books, become a bestselling author and make a living from writing my books. That would be the ultimate goal. It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign? Because You Are Beautiful, Beautiful You Are is written for children and is in picture book form, my readers are mostly parents, caregivers and young children. I am interested in marketing to schools, childcare centers, libraries, conferences and most certainly book stores. I will be offering author visits. I will also have a social media presence and I am counting on word of mouth as well. Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it? I wrote You Are Beautiful, Beautiful You Are because I realized that there is a lack of self-love in our society. I wanted to be encouraging to other adults, ones who would read my book to their children. My hope is to instill self-love, confidence, encouragement and acceptance of self and others in young children. If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask? The first person to come to mind is my Grandpa Jim. I remember being a child and we would play board games as a family. No one could ever beat Grandpa Jim in checkers, but one day I did it! I beat him. It was the best feeling. I would invite Grandpa Jim over and we would play checkers until we were tired of playing, which would take a long time. (This question brought me to tears.) When you are not writing, how do you like to relax? When I am not writing, I love to swim, shop, dine at new fancy restaurants and travel the world. There are so many places I would love to see! What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel? I hope people will get reminders of their self-worth and the importance of self-care, self-love and conficdence. I hope these people will then share the message of accepting themselves and also accepting others as they are. Then, and only then, will the world be a better place.
‘Tenacity’! Some people are just not born to settle down. Some people are never satisfied, always seeking more, pushing farther and climbing higher. ‘Tenacity’ by Ron Coury is about one of those people. ‘Tenacity’ is a memoir about Coury’s life and all of the trials and triumphs that he has faced in his time.
Born in Brooklyn to second generation
immigrant parents, Coury knew from a young age that he wanted to be a business
man. His first job was shining shoes at the subway station for a dime. From
those meager beginnings, Coury quickly realized that he enjoyed making money
and doing it through hard work. The story of ‘Tenacity’ is in Ron Coury’s hard
work, clever machinations, determination and, of course, tenacity in the face
of adversity.
I greatly enjoyed this book and Coury’s
perspective on life in general. Apart from funny anecdotes about his
no-nonsense parents and occasionally less-than-reputable friends, ‘Tenacity’ was
filled with a lot of genuinely good life advice. This book is surprisingly
aspirational and almost functioned like a self-help book for me in some ways. I
also learned quite a bit about the world of casino-ownership which is something
that I never had any reason to think about before but I ended up finding very
interesting.
Coury tells the entire story of his life in a stylistic, ‘Wonder Years’ sort of way that really makes you feel as though you are being taken along on the journey with him and that he remembers everything perfectly. I loved this style of writing that is based on recollection and has a dash of humor and embarrassment. Coury owned something like 35 business in the Las Vegas area at one point and reading about a man who starts out with nothing building an empire is like reading about the American dream. I highly recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 stars.
International Book Promotion 